That’s true. Hazel nodded.

“Yes.”

“Did she happen to say anything at that time?”

At those words, Hazel realized what the king was trying to do now.

It seemed the king was now trying to investigate the queen.

Is men’s patience always this shallow? Hazel thought inwardly, disappointed by the question given his usual demeanor. And here I thought he was trying to remain a decent husband.

“…I don’t know what you’re thinking, but I’m not trying to investigate Ophelia.”

“I didn’t think that.”

No, she did.

But to live as a knight of the castle, one needed to have the ability to lie without batting an eye.

Of course, the king didn’t seem to believe her words. As is often the case with people of picky temperament, the man was not easily fooled.

The king sighed and rubbed his face once.

“What I mean is, did Ophelia seem frustrated at all?”

At the unexpected question, Hazel unconsciously furrowed her brow slightly.

“She hasn’t said anything like that.”

“One doesn’t only communicate with words. Why, don’t people convey intentions through many other means besides the mouth?”

And the king set his lips firmly and made an ambiguous expression. It was the face of someone who didn’t know what they were doing.

After looking down at the papers on the desk for a moment, the man spoke.

“Do you remember what I said when I entrusted you with Ophelia’s guard?”

If it’s that, of course she remembers.

“Didn’t you say to handle things before any trouble arose for Her Majesty the Queen?”

Though it was twisted this way and that like all orders from high-ranking people, that was the gist of it.

But the king did not nod in agreement.

Realizing that he had another statement in mind when he asked the question, Hazel recalled her memory.

“You also said to report immediately anything that could affect Her Majesty the Queen’s personal affairs.”

“…Yes, I hope you haven’t forgotten those words.”

It was as if he was suggesting that something big might happen to the queen soon.

Hazel could not understand why the man was saying such things. If it were an external threat, the king would have handled it himself before it reached her, the queen’s guard.

Moreover, if the king was really referring to a threat, it didn’t match what he had said just before. The man had acted less like someone who thought his wife was in danger and more like someone with an unfaithful spouse. In other words, he seemed worried about being abandoned.

But the queen didn’t seem like someone tired of her husband.

Though she didn’t know much about the relationship between the royal couple, nor did she want to, Hazel could guarantee at least that much.

What woman would put so much effort into preparing her boring husband’s birthday?

Since the queen had sent her on various errands, Hazel roughly knew how she was preparing her villa.

The queen was surprisingly skilled at choosing valuables and decorating. It was an aspect that hadn’t been apparent before, as she had reacted indifferently to such things until now.

From the looks of it, the husband’s side seemed to have no idea what she was preparing.

If someone is preparing a surprise gift, there’s no need to ruin it. Though it felt a bit like betrayal to the one she had sworn loyalty to, Hazel decided to remain silent if the king asked about what his wife was preparing.

It was then that the man spoke.

“If you have nothing more to say, you may go now.”

“Yes.”

However, before turning the doorknob, Hazel realized that the man had not let go of his lingering thoughts.

“Before you leave, answer just one more thing.”

“Please ask.”

“Ophelia has been disposing of a lot of assets recently.”

And the king tapped the document he had been looking down at with his finger. The slow but distinct resonance carried a strange pressure.

“Do you know the reason for that?”

Of course, Hazel knew why the queen had sold off her assets.

Having a discerning eye also meant not being satisfied with ordinary items.

The silk and jewels used to repair and decorate the villa were so expensive that even she, from a fairly wealthy family, was surprised.

But there was no need to expose something someone was trying to hide and ruin the romance of the year-end.

If he’s really curious, he’ll ask directly.

That’s how it usually was between lovers. They might fight like enemies at times, but when it came to uncovering secrets, they couldn’t fail.

Hazel, who had concluded without much thought, answered.

“I don’t know.”

Even Ophelia’s knight doesn’t know if she’s had any change of heart.

Idren pondered how to interpret this fact, but no answer came.

Of course, there was the option of asking the person directly.

But Idren didn’t want to give the impression of constraining the other person.

Ophelia had the right to spend money where she wanted.

Unless they were so close as to share even the type of tea they drank, inquiring about such matters could give the impression of excessive interference.

Moreover, what really mattered wasn’t whether she had disposed of assets.

It was whether she had settled her personal affairs.

Though it felt like ancient history now when recalling, Idren remembered what Ophelia had done during their first marriage.

Before taking her own life, Ophelia had neatly settled her assets. From dealings with Egelbamot’s merchants to all the small profits from money-lending.

Even the assets confiscated from Reden after her death were settled with the help of the financial advisor.

Surely not. While knowing that Ophelia wouldn’t plan a farewell without warning him, Idren became anxious thinking about it. He thought that perhaps this change itself was the warning.

Should I just ask?

The thought came to him naturally.

It was about time he wanted to see Ophelia’s face anyway. Since they started using separate bedrooms, Idren hadn’t properly seen her face. Unfortunately, he had been too busy with the approaching year-end to spare a moment.

Besides the reason for her disposing of assets, there were other things he wanted to check.

Nothing grand. He was just curious about trivial things like whether she was sleeping well or eating properly.

As long as she was doing well, what else mattered?

After taking a moment to look at himself standing in front of his wife’s study, Idren knocked on the door.

“Ophelia, it’s me. May I come in?”

Why has Idren suddenly come?

Ophelia thought as she hurriedly cleared away the catalog spread out on her desk. Why has this man come?

“Your Majesty, what should we do with the items you were looking at?”

The merchant she had summoned asked, pointing to the sample jewels and silks. It seemed the other side was also flustered by the sudden visit.

Ophelia spoke to the woman, who had a good eye for items despite being hastily called.

“I’ll call for you again later, so take them with you for now.”

Fortunately, the merchant seemed to be quite perceptive and started moving quickly. By the time she had roughly packed up the items with the help of the maid she had brought, Ophelia gestured to the servant standing nearby. Go and open the door.

“There were people inside?”

Idren asked, glancing at the merchant who was hurriedly leaving with a deep bow.

Ophelia responded as calmly as possible to the man approaching her.

“I had business with a merchant.”

“…Do you have something to dispose of?”

Merchants were met not only when buying items but also when settling assets. They were good counterparts for privately handling high-priced collectibles or luxury items with a long history.

Ophelia, who had maintained friendships with various merchants in her past life, would also know this fact.

And Idren tried to read something from the woman’s face. But all he could tell was that she looked livelier and prettier than usual.

It also seemed like her face had filled out a bit.

Her cheeks, which had always looked gaunt recently, seemed to have a glow today.

He felt a bit disappointed seeing his counterpart seemingly doing well, while he himself had trouble sleeping in the bedroom he now used alone, unable to adjust.

It was then that Ophelia, who had lowered her hands onto the desk, asked.

“Why did you come?”

“…Is this how you felt when I asked the same question before?”

“What do you mean?”

At that, the man tilted his head slightly. He added in a not-so-heavy tone.

“I meant it felt disappointing.”

“…That wasn’t my intention.”

“I know. I was joking.”

But it was quite weighty for a joke.

Ophelia came over to his side and leaned against the desk, looking up at the man. While it wasn’t that she disliked seeing his face, it was true that it was inconvenient to have him come in the middle of what she was doing.

Idren, who had been staring down at her, said.

“It seemed like it had been a while since I’d seen your face, so I came.”

“…For that, we saw each other just a few days ago.”

“We used to see each other every day, you know.”

And the man tilted his head. Ophelia let him kiss her on the cheek.

After waiting until she felt his breath, she spoke.

“Actually, I wanted to tell you…”

“There’s something I wanted to ask…”

Their words overlapped.

After they both paused for a moment, Idren shrugged his shoulders. You go first.

Then there was no need to refuse. Swallowing dry saliva from needless tension, Ophelia spoke.

“There’s something I want to let you know.”